Small Bomb Explodes Near Revered Church in Egypt

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A small bomb exploded near a prominent church in Egypt's capital city Sunday night, according to authorities.

The bomb went off around 9 p.m. as a wedding was being held in the nearby Saint Mary Church in Cairo's Zeitoun district, police told the press Monday.

No casualties were reported and the only damage sustained was to the parked car that the bomb was planted under. Saint Mary Church, one of the holiest sites for Egypt's Coptic Christian minority, was reportedly unaffected.

Though a witness at the scene told Reuters that a second blast occurred later after police cleared the area, the official news agency MENA made no mention of a second blast.

Christians are a minority in predominantly Muslim Egypt, though the country has the largest Christian population in the Middle East. Conflicts between Christians and Muslims in Egypt flare up occasionally and are usually the result of disputes over land or family issues.

Last month, two Christians were shot dead by Muslim villagers in southern Egypt in what was believed to be a revenge killing.

One official told The Associated Press on Monday that the explosion the night before appeared to be intended "to scare rather than to kill."